Roland JUPITER-08: the JUPITER-8 in Boutique form, up to 32 voices
For the JUPITER-8’s 45th anniversary, Roland releases the JUPITER-08: modeled engine, 8 voices over two parts or 32 voices, polyphonic sequencer, batteries and K-25m keyboard. $549.99 in the US.
On October 20, 2026, Roland unveiled two new models in its compact Roland Boutique range. The first, the JUPITER-08, marks 45 years of the JUPITER-8, the brand’s flagship analog polysynth released in 1981. According to Roland’s official press release, it keeps the original’s panel and architecture, recreated through digital modeling, and adds what the original lacked: a polyphonic sequencer, effects, a speaker and battery power.
A modeled JUPITER-8, not an analog one
The engine is digital. Roland uses its ABM technology (Analog Behavior Modeling), which computes how analog circuits behave instead of building them from components. The release stresses the original’s sought-after quirks: slight pitch instability and the way each note starts. The JUPITER-08 follows the 2015 JP-08, the first Boutique tribute to the JUPITER-8, which was limited to four voices.
The panel mirrors the 1981 synthesis section, slider for slider:
- Two oscillators (VCO-1 and VCO-2) with cross modulation, sync, fine tuning and waveform selection, plus a pitch and pulse-width modulation section;
- a high-pass filter followed by the main filter (VCF) with resonance and switchable slope, modulated by envelope, LFO and key follow;
- two ADSR envelopes and an LFO with delay time.
The four stages of an envelope (attack, decay, sustain, release) are covered in our article on the ADSR envelope.
8 voices over two parts, or 32 voices
By default, the JUPITER-08 behaves like the original: 8 voices spread over two parts, which can be layered (DUAL mode) or split across the keyboard (SPLIT mode). A dedicated mode expands polyphony to 32 voices. Polyphony is the number of notes that can sound at once, each with its own filter and envelope; how it differs from paraphony is explained in our guide to polyphonic, paraphonic and monophonic synths.
What the original lacked
| Feature | JUPITER-08 |
|---|---|
| Sequencer | polyphonic, 2 parts, 64 steps, up to 8 notes per step, motion recording |
| Arpeggiator | yes, with HOLD function |
| Effects | 17 types (including Roland’s stereo chorus), separate delay and reverb, shimmer mode |
| Memory | 240 patches, 96 patterns |
| Connections | MIDI IN/OUT, external clock input, stereo mini-jack output and headphones, MIX IN input, USB-C audio and MIDI |
| Power | 4 AA batteries (about 6 hours on 1,900 mAh Ni-MH) or USB |
| Keyboard | 25-key K-25m mini keyboard included, built-in speaker |
| Size, weight | 308 × 209 × 54 mm, 1.6 kg with keyboard and batteries |
Roland’s official walkthrough:
Who it is for, what it costs, what it competes with
Who it is for. Players who want the JUPITER-8 sound palette (strings, brass, two-layer pads) without paying collector prices for an original, in a box that fits in a backpack. The external clock input and five-pin MIDI tie it into a drum machine setup or a modular system; the speaker and batteries make it a travel instrument. Not for anyone who wants a real keyboard: the K-25m’s 25 mini keys are limiting, and two-handed playing calls for the Boutique Dock DK-01 (sold separately) or an external MIDI controller.
What it costs. In the United States, Roland’s press release lists $549.99, K-25m keyboard included, available now. In Japan, pricing is open and release is set for November 7, 2026. European pricing has not been announced yet. Official page: JUPITER-08 on roland.com.
What it competes with. The JUPITER-08 sits among compact polysynths in the same price bracket. The Korg minilogue and its successor, the minilogue xd, offer four truly analog voices and a 37-key keyboard, but half the voice count of the JUPITER-08 even in its original mode. Eight-voice analog desktop synths such as the Behringer Pro-800 offer analog circuits but no keyboard or effects. The JUPITER-08 plays a different card: a panel copied from a legend, two layerable parts, a polyphonic sequencer and battery power. Its limits come from its format more than its engine. To weigh it against other instrument families, our guide to analog, digital and hybrid synths lays out the criteria, and the Vintage Reissues section tracks other tributes, such as the ACME Synthworks XP60, inspired by the Oberheim Xpander.
Roland announced a second model on the same day, the n/vision, the first wavetable synth in the Boutique range.
